﻿STATISTICS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  GULF 
  STATES, 
  1902. 
  

  

  The 
  Gulf 
  States, 
  as 
  here 
  considered, 
  comprise 
  the 
  western 
  coast 
  of 
  

   Florida, 
  Alabama, 
  Mississippi, 
  Louisiana, 
  and 
  Texas. 
  The 
  informa- 
  

   tion 
  presented 
  applies 
  only 
  to 
  the 
  coast 
  fisheries 
  of 
  commercial 
  impor- 
  

   tance 
  prosecuted 
  in 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico 
  and 
  bays 
  and 
  rivers 
  immediately 
  

   tributary, 
  and 
  does 
  not 
  include 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  interior 
  waters 
  

   of 
  these 
  states. 
  The 
  inquiries 
  cover 
  the 
  calendar 
  year 
  1902, 
  and 
  were 
  

   begun 
  in 
  March 
  and 
  concluded 
  in 
  June, 
  1903. 
  The 
  results, 
  which 
  

   have 
  already 
  been 
  published 
  in 
  condensed 
  form 
  as 
  Statistical 
  Bulletin 
  

   No. 
  147, 
  indicate 
  that 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  these 
  states 
  were 
  more 
  extensive 
  

   in 
  1902 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  previous 
  year 
  for 
  which 
  statistics 
  are 
  available. 
  

  

  The 
  number 
  of 
  persons 
  employed 
  was 
  18,029, 
  of 
  whom 
  12,901 
  were 
  

   engaged 
  as 
  fishermen 
  in 
  the 
  vessel 
  and 
  shore 
  fisheries, 
  and 
  5,128 
  as 
  

   shoresmen 
  in 
  wholesale 
  fish 
  establishments, 
  oyster 
  canneries, 
  and 
  other 
  

   branches 
  of 
  industry 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  fisheries. 
  Florida 
  employed 
  

   in 
  its 
  fisheries 
  6,416 
  persons, 
  Alabama 
  1,098, 
  Mississippi 
  4,344, 
  Louis- 
  

   iana 
  5,027, 
  and 
  Texas 
  1,144. 
  The 
  largest 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   persons 
  employed 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  returns 
  for 
  1897, 
  the 
  year 
  for 
  

   which 
  the 
  last 
  canvass 
  was 
  made, 
  was 
  1,779, 
  or 
  69.35 
  per 
  cent, 
  in 
  Mis- 
  

   sissippi. 
  There 
  have 
  also 
  been 
  comparatively 
  large 
  increases 
  in 
  all 
  

   of 
  the 
  other 
  states 
  except 
  Texas, 
  where 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  slight 
  decrease. 
  

  

  The 
  total 
  amount 
  of 
  capital 
  invested 
  in 
  1902 
  was 
  $4,707,460, 
  of 
  

   which 
  11,945,320 
  was 
  in 
  Florida, 
  $828,285 
  in 
  Alabama, 
  $1,270,408 
  in 
  

   Mississippi, 
  $789,723 
  in 
  Louisiana, 
  and 
  $373,724 
  in 
  Texas. 
  There 
  has 
  

   been 
  considerable 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  investment 
  in 
  all 
  of 
  these 
  states 
  since 
  

   1897, 
  and 
  especially 
  in 
  Mississippi, 
  where 
  it 
  amounted 
  to 
  $752,107, 
  or 
  

   145.11 
  per 
  cent; 
  in 
  Florida 
  the 
  increase 
  was 
  $796,058, 
  or 
  69.26 
  per 
  

   cent; 
  and 
  in 
  Alabama 
  $163,096, 
  or 
  98.73 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  The 
  number 
  of 
  fishing 
  and 
  transporting 
  vessels 
  employed 
  was 
  714, 
  

   valued 
  at 
  $953,925. 
  Their 
  net 
  tonuage 
  was 
  9,221 
  tons, 
  and 
  the 
  value 
  

   of 
  their 
  outfit 
  $341,920. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  boats 
  in 
  the 
  shore 
  fisheries 
  

   was 
  7,102, 
  valued 
  at 
  $707,129. 
  T:ie 
  fishing 
  apparatus 
  used 
  on 
  vessels 
  

   and 
  boats 
  was 
  valued 
  at 
  $198,414, 
  the 
  shore 
  and 
  accessory 
  property 
  at 
  

   $1,586,672, 
  and 
  the 
  cash 
  capital 
  amounted 
  to 
  $919,400. 
  

  

  The 
  products 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  in 
  1902 
  aggregated 
  113,696,970 
  pounds, 
  

   valued 
  at 
  $3,494,196. 
  Of 
  this 
  quantity 
  the 
  gulf 
  coast 
  of 
  Florida 
  pro- 
  

   duced 
  48,120,019 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  $1,462,166; 
  Alabama 
  produced 
  

   9,351,447 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  $266,682; 
  Mississippi, 
  23,426,965 
  pounds, 
  

  

  413 
  

  

  